# Debug node change when no change made

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/debug-node-change-when-no-change-made/98737>\
**Category:** Core Development\
**Tags:** debug\
**Created:** [19 August 2025 17:36 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/debug-node-change-when-no-change-made/98737 "2025-08-19T17:36:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gregorius](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/gregorius/32/73816_2.png) [@gregorius](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/gregorius)\
**Post date:** [19 August 2025 17:36 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/debug-node-change-when-no-change-made/98737/1 "2025-08-19T17:36:27Z")

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Hi There,

Can someone confirm this or is it just me but does a debug node cause an unnecessary change?

What happens is that I create a new debug node, save the flow, open the edit panel for the debug node, **make no change** , close the debug edit panel and the flow has changed or rather the deploy button tells me something changed. I save the changes and then open the edit panel for the debug node, make no change again but this time the flow isn't changed.

Is this just my installation of Node-RED? Tested with 4.0.5.

![debug-node-change](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/2/4/243633f0bcc931a729169e10605b3dcc1a5a50aa.gif)

Is this just me or does it happen for others too?

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**Author:** ![GogoVega](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/gogovega/32/71313_2.png) [@GogoVega](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/GogoVega)\
**Post date:** [19 August 2025 18:06 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/debug-node-change-when-no-change-made/98737/2 "2025-08-19T18:06:00Z")

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Same on 4.0.5 and 4.1.

Related to `node.complete` and `node.targetType` changing:

 ![Capture d’écran 2025-08-19 à 20.02.57](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/e/3/e3c346da09ebec06b43623898f80764c2df99894.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gregorius](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/gregorius/32/73816_2.png) [@gregorius](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/gregorius)\
**Post date:** [19 August 2025 18:20 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/debug-node-change-when-no-change-made/98737/3 "2025-08-19T18:20:18Z")

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Thanks for checking and saving my sanity!

I also suspected, complete & targetType - I changed them [here](https://github.com/node-red/node-red/blob/9bf42037b5f68012a134810ea92ecfe9b6cef112/packages/node_modules/%40node-red/nodes/core/common/21-debug.html#L82-L83) to:

```auto
- complete: {value:"false", required:true},
- targetType: {value:undefined},
+ complete: {value:"payload", required:true},
+ targetType: {value:"msg"},

```

since that's the default ....

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TotallyInformation](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/totallyinformation/32/31_2.png) [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)\
**Post date:** [19 August 2025 18:25 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/debug-node-change-when-no-change-made/98737/4 "2025-08-19T18:25:16Z")

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Same for me. Only happens on first adding a debug node. Then deploy, open the panel, click done. Doesn't happen again.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gregorius](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/gregorius/32/73816_2.png) [@gregorius](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/gregorius)\
**Post date:** [19 August 2025 18:27 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/debug-node-change-when-no-change-made/98737/5 "2025-08-19T18:27:07Z")

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> [@TotallyInformation](#):
>
> Only happens on first adding a debug node.

Yep but with each and every debug node added! So it be kinda weird...

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [18 October 2025 18:27 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/debug-node-change-when-no-change-made/98737/6 "2025-10-18T18:27:35Z")

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